XML: sorting XML nodes

[Guest]

How would I sort a bunch of XML nodes? I don't necessarily need to change the existing structure, but I do need to iterate through in a specific order. In AS2 I would use the childNodes array and use Array.sort.

[Newsgroup_User]

Perhaps something like this:

var xml:XML =
<root>
<node id="2">alpha</node>
<node id="3">delta</node>
<node id="5">bravo</node>
<node id="0">foxtrot</node>
<node id="1">echo</node>
<node id="4">charlie</node>
</root>

function XMLList2Array(l:XMLList):Array
{
var result:Array = [];
var n:XML
for each(n in l)
{
result.push(n.copy());
}
return result
}
function XMLListSort(l:XMLList, fieldName:String=null)
{
var a:Array = XMLList2Array(l);
a = fieldName==null ? a.sort() : a.sortOn(fieldName);
var result:XMLList = new XMLList();
for(var i:int=0; i<a.length; i++)
{
result += a ;
}
return result;
}
trace(XMLList2Array(xml.node),"\n================")
trace(XMLListSort(xml.node, "@id"),"\n================")
trace(XMLListSort(xml.node),"\n================")

[Newsgroup_User]

And here's a attribute sort function from
http://freerpad.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-hierarchical-sorting-e4x-xml-for.html.


var xml:XML =
<root>
<node id="2">alpha</node>
<node id="3">delta</node>
<node id="5">bravo</node>
<node id="0">foxtrot</node>
<node id="1">echo</node>
<node id="4">charlie</node>
</root>


sortXmlAttribute(xml,"id",true, Array.CASEINSENSITIVE);
trace(xml)

function sortXmlAttribute
( avXml :XML,
avAttributeName :String,
avPutEmptiesAtBottom :Boolean,
avArraySortArgument0 😘 = 0,
avArraySortArgument1 😘 = 0 )
:void
{
var lvChildrenCount:int
= avXml.children().length();

if( lvChildrenCount == 0 )
return;

if( lvChildrenCount > 1 )
{
var lvAttributeValue :String;
var lvXml :XML;

var lvSortOptions:int
= avArraySortArgument0 is Function
? avArraySortArgument1 : avArraySortArgument0;

var lvSortCaseInsensitive:Boolean
= ( lvSortOptions & Array.CASEINSENSITIVE )
== Array.CASEINSENSITIVE;

var lvArray:Array = new Array();

for each( lvXml in avXml.children() )
{
lvAttributeValue
= lvXml.attribute( avAttributeName );

if( lvSortCaseInsensitive )
lvAttributeValue
= lvAttributeValue.toUpperCase();

if( lvArray.indexOf( lvAttributeValue ) == -1 )
lvArray.push( lvAttributeValue );

} // for each

if( lvArray.length > 1 )
{
lvArray.sort
(
avArraySortArgument0,
avArraySortArgument1
);

if( avPutEmptiesAtBottom )
{
if( lvArray[0] == "" )
lvArray.push( lvArray.shift() );
} // if

} // if

var lvXmlList:XMLList = new XMLList();
for each( lvAttributeValue in lvArray )
{
for each( lvXml in avXml.children() )
{
var lvXmlAttributeValue:String
= lvXml.attribute( avAttributeName );

if( lvSortCaseInsensitive )
lvXmlAttributeValue
= lvXmlAttributeValue.toUpperCase();

if( lvXmlAttributeValue == lvAttributeValue )
lvXmlList += lvXml;

} // for each

} // for each

avXml.setChildren( lvXmlList );

} // if

for each( var lvXmlChild:XML in avXml.children() )
{
sortXmlAttribute
(
lvXmlChild,
avAttributeName,
avPutEmptiesAtBottom,
avArraySortArgument0,
avArraySortArgument1
);
} // for each

} // sortXmlAttribute